Call of the Moor
by CSakuraS
Summary: It was supposed to be the usual Davis family road trip, unusual only in the fact that Lin was invited. But when the supernatural becomes involved, things never go quite as planned. (Pre-series. Written for the 2017 Ghost Hunt Exchange.)
1. Chapter 1

Written for archangelBBQ.

Prompt: Friendship, Adventure, Supernatural. Theme: roadtrip, hitchhiking, autumn.

* * *

In the autumn following Noll's 13th birthday, Martin proposed a road trip. The trip in itself wasn't an unusual suggestion; the family had taken many such trips, mainly to paranormal hotspots, in the years since the twins had been adopted. What struck him as unusual was the timing— their past trips had all been during the summer holidays— and the fact that this time, Lin had been invited.

On one hand, he could almost understand the reasoning. Noll's Qigong training had taken priority during the summer, so they had forgone the usual family road trip. Rescheduling it to their half-term break wasn't unimaginable. On the other hand, bringing Lin along, while Luella got some rare time to herself at home, seemed to defy the very concept of a 'family' road trip. The whole thing struck him as suspicious. But as he could not refuse anyway, Noll decided not to speak up about it.

And that was how he found himself in the backseat of a car, Gene sitting beside him, Lin in the front passenger seat, with Martin driving. Their destination was Dartmoor National Park, in Devon. Martin had rented a car just for the occasion, a particularly tiny one, in order to "navigate the narrow country roads." And while this wasn't a problem for the twins, and it was a tight but manageable fit for Martin, Lin looked as if he had been crammed into a sardine can. The top of his head was flat against the ceiling, and he was forced into a slouch. His knees were also nearly up to his chin, due to the lack of leg room.

Gene found this all very hilarious and made sure to mention it at least twice an hour, which also prompted Martin into apologizing for the umpteenth time. Lin weathered the ordeal with polite grace and stoicism, but Noll could sense the discomfort coming off him in waves. He was torn between pitying the man, and annoyance at how big of a deal Gene had to make of it. It's not like it was _that_ funny. (It was just a little funny.)

They had been on the road for roughly five hours now, not including rest stops, and were finally within the park. Rolling green fields gave way to rust brown moor, rocky tors dotting the wild, desolate landscape. Hills stretched on to the horizon, where they met overcast sky.

Martin soon stopped the car and led them on a short hike, where he made the twins and Lin climb up on a tor so he could take their picture. Once again, Noll had to question why Lin was there, a question the man seemed to be asking himself as he stood awkwardly with them on the rocky outcrop.

Afterwards, they returned to the car, and before long were winding through claustrophobic, maze-like country roads flanked on either side by tall hedgerows. At times these roads grew so narrow, the hedges brushed right along the sides of the car, branches scraping and snapping as they squeezed through. It seemed Martin had been right to rent such a small car.

Noll sighed. Martin had promised that the first village they came to, they would stop to have some tea. This was the only thing he had to look forward to. He had already finished reading his book on Dartmoor legends, and so now was forced to actually listen to the conversation in the car.

"You think we'll see some Dartmoor ponies, Martin?"

"I'm sure we'll find them roaming around soon enough."

Inevitably, the bulk of it was between Gene and Martin. Lin tended to only respond when spoken to.

"So, Lin, studies going well?" Martin asked, in a blatant attempt at involving the man in conversation.

"Yes, thank you. I should be earning my degree in spring."

"Splendid! Will you be looking for employment soon, then? Or I suppose a talented young man like you would already have something lined up, I imagine?"

"Not yet. Though I will always have my family's business to fall back on, it would not be ideal. I am hoping to find something in the technical field."

"You don't say? Given your background, I wouldn't have guessed!"

"I…have a passion for computers."

"Did you hear that, Noll?" Martin called. "Won't you have a need for technical experts in the new lab?"

"We'll have a Mechanic Team," Noll nodded. "I don't think they've begun hiring yet."

"Well, there you go, then! That's one possibility. And I'd be happy to write a recommendation."

"Thank you, Professor." Lin paused. "…I'm sorry, what is this 'new lab'?"

"Oh, haven't we mentioned it yet? SPR is creating a specialized research institute right in Cambridge, due to open next year I believe. Noll's worked tirelessly to secure funding for it," Martin chuckled.

"We have a generous donor," Noll muttered.

"Yeah, but you went _all out_ , didn't you, Noll?" Gene teased. "Broke out the magic tricks and everything. You should've seen it, Lin! My brother, trying to be _social_."

"That…is difficult to imagine."

"You should come to the next party! I bet the patrons would _love_ to meet you!"

"Oh, no…I couldn't possibly…"

By now they had escaped the hedgerows, and drove down a road with trees on one side, and a low stone wall separating them from the moor on the other. Treetops flashed by, a swirl of gold, scarlet, and copper.

Then without warning, a dense fog descended, obscuring their way. Martin slowed the car.

"Whoa, this is spooky! I feel like anything could jump out at us now!" Gene chirped, as if such a thing would be desirable.

"A spectral dog, perhaps?" Martin suggested, with equal enthusiasm.

"Yeah, a hellhound! Like from _The Hound of the Baskervilles!_ "

"Or perhaps even a headless horseman!"

"Ooh, a dullahan? Noll, we've got some Irish in us! Maybe it'll think we're cousins!"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Hey, I know! It's almost Halloween, and this is the perfect atmosphere! We could trade scary stories!"

Lin let out a small sigh. Noll couldn't help but agree.

"You first, Noll!" Gene grinned.

There was no point in arguing. "Once there was a boy named Eugene. He spoke too much, and so a witch put a spell on him, causing his mouth to sew itself shut. He spent the rest of his life mute. The end."

"Is that really the best you could come up with?"

"I included a witch. I thought you would appreciate that."

Both adults chuckled.

Gene pouted. But before long, the mischievous grin was back. "Okay, now it's _my_ turn. I'll tell a story that'll even get _you_ spooked, Noll. After all, it is a true story~"

He knew at once that nothing good could come of this. And sure enough, Gene launched into a familiar tale, one from long ago…

* * *

It must have been when he was four or five, back when they were living in Boston. While their mother used to answer the door when they were very young (or, more frequently, ignored the door bell entirely), once the boys had grown tall enough to open the door themselves, that task had automatically fallen to Gene.

That night, however, Gene happened to be stuck on the toilet. When the door bell rang, Mother called drunkenly from the kitchen.

"Eugene, answer the door!"

"Mama, I can't!" Gene called from the bathroom. "I'm pooping!"

The bell rang again.

"Answer the door!"

"I can't!"

It rang again.

" _Eugene!"_

" _Mama!"_

At the time, Noll had been sitting in the living room, gazing at a newspaper Nuptadi had given them the other day. He couldn't read any of it, of course, but he liked to look at the pictures and imagine what the words said. But all this racket thoroughly disrupted his concentration, and annoyed, he got up to answer the door himself for the first time.

It couldn't be that difficult, after all. He just had to open the door and check who was ringing. It would probably just be Nuptadi anyway.

But Nuptadi was not who greeted him at the front door. As soon as he pulled it open, a chorus of voices rang out.

"Trick or treat!"

Noll's eyes bugged out at the sight before him. Three large, orange heads planted on bodies clad in black leotards. Their faces grinning horribly down at him. They must have been only teenagers, visiting the house out of a misguided idea that its shabby appearance was intentionally done to look spooky. But to a young Noll, they appeared to be giants.

"Oh my gosh, look how cute!" one of them squealed upon seeing him.

"Awww!"

"Watch out, kid!" One of them, a male, made a clawing motion with his hands. "If you don't give us candy, we might just eat ya!" he growled.

"Don't say that!" Another one elbowed him in the side. "You're scaring him!"

Noll just stared, frozen in place. What did these creatures want? Candy? What?

One of them crouched down. The grinning orange face loomed closer. "Hey, where are your parents, little guy?"

Mother chose that moment to call from the kitchen. "Eugene, who's at the door?"

"I'm not at the door, Mama! I'm on the toilet!"

"Oliver, who's there?"

Noll seemed to have lost his voice. What could he say to describe what he was seeing? How could he possibly find the words?

"…I don't know these people," he finally said, and slammed the door on their big pumpkin faces.

* * *

Noll shuddered at the memory. Gene, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Our parents never told us about Halloween, so Noll was totally convinced they were actual pumpkin people! Can you imagine…!"

Noll glared at him. This wasn't funny at all.

Fortunately, Martin only chuckled lightly. Lin gave a weak smile.

"Okay, Lin! Your turn!" Gene said, rounding on him. "You've gotta have some interesting stories, right?"

"I…"

But Lin was spared the humiliation. Just then, the car gave a massive jolt. Martin hit the brakes. Fortunately, since they weren't driving fast to begin with, they came to a stop without issue.

"Is everyone all right?" Martin asked.

They all mumbled in reply,

"What _was_ that?" Gene asked.

Martin sighed. "I'll go and take a look. Boys, stay inside."

He opened the driver's side door and got out of the car.

"What if it's the Hairy Hands?" Gene said. "You know, that legend about a pair of spectral hands that appear and take hold of the steering wheel?"

"Gene, if such a thing had appeared, wouldn't you have noticed?"

"Hmm, good point."

"Besides, that legend has already been debunked."

Martin opened the door again and peered in.

"Bad news. It appears we've hit a nasty pothole, and have a flat tire."

Noll sighed. He wouldn't be having tea for a while now.

"Lin, would you come help me with this please? Boys, I'm afraid you'll have to get out as well."

They all exited the car. Lin examined the tire with Martin, then they went to open the trunk.

Noll decided to just stay out of the way, and sat on the low stone wall with Gene. After a few minutes, he glanced at his twin, who had gone suspiciously quiet. Gene stared out at the misty moor; something had evidently caught his attention, but when Noll looked, he could see nothing.

This wasn't exactly unusual for him, so Noll chose to ignore it. He began flipping through his book again.

Minutes later, as Martin and Lin got the jack into place and began working on removing the flat tire, another car approached from the opposite direction. The road here wasn't as narrow as it had been earlier, but it would still be difficult to squeeze past. The other car slowed to a stop in front of them and the driver leaned out the window, presumably to ask what the problem was. As Noll watched, Martin and Lin went over to explain.

Suddenly, Gene got to his feet.

"Gene?"

Without even a look back, Gene climbed over the stone wall and went marching off into the moor.

Noll stared. What was that idiot thinking?

"Martin," he called. "Gene just ran off."

But Martin did not seem to notice, too busy talking to the other driver. Meanwhile, Gene faded into the mist.

Noll clicked his tongue. Usually he wouldn't bother, but knowing Gene, he might just go sink into a peat bog and disappear, not even leaving a body behind for dissection.

"Stupid medium." He gave chase.

* * *

In the end, the other driver had no choice but to turn back, as their car could not be moved aside just yet. Lin returned to replacing the tire with Martin.

"I do apologize for the trouble, Lin," Martin said. "This trip hasn't turned out quite as I'd hoped."

Lin shook his head. "It's fine, sir." Actually, he was glad to be outside, stretching his limbs after hours of being trapped inside that cramped car. And he did not mind the mechanic work. He would rather be doing this than forced into strained conversation with the twins.

As if reading his mind, Martin asked, "By the way, how have you and Noll been getting on, if I might ask?"

"He has shown remarkable improvement. Oliver is an excellent student."

"Yes, but on a personal level?"

Lin pursed his lips. "It has been…courteous."

In truth, though Lin had been training Oliver for several months now, their relationship was still stiff and cold. For one, Lin was not good with children. And it certainly did not help that Oliver was socially awkward as well. The two of them seemed to have decided unanimously that their interactions would not go beyond the Student-Teacher relationship.

Which made this trip all the more awkward. Martin had clearly invited him along hoping it would be a bonding experience for them, but they had barely spoken a word to each other the whole time. At this rate, he saw no hope of things improving.

Not to mention, the fact that the boys were Japanese still bothered him. He knew that was unfair. They had as much to do with those atrocities as he did. But he could not help the aversion.

He did feel sorry for them, though. If he weren't already sympathetic to Oliver's plight, learning of their history alone would have been enough to get him to agree to teaching him.

"…I must admit, it still surprises me," Lin said quietly, thinking back to the conversation in the car. "How lightly those two take their past. Eugene in particular." Though the story itself had been amusing, Lin could not bring himself to laugh, considering the context.

"Indeed, though that goes for Noll too," Martin nodded. "The first time we introduced them to relatives, Noll told them of his mother's death to break the ice."

"You can't be serious."

"I believe that was the only way he knew how to garner sympathy." Martin smiled sadly. "Unlike Gene, he has a very difficult time making friends."

"I see." So that explained it. Normally one wouldn't push their son to become friends with a man twice their age, but it seemed Martin was desperate.

"Speaking of which…" Martin stood, stretched, and peered over to the opposite side of the car. "How are you boys holding up?"

But they were gone.

Lin looked around. The twins were nowhere in sight.

Martin just sighed wearily. "I suppose I ought to have expected this."

"Does this happen often?" Lin asked.

"Those boys have a propensity for wandering off on their own. Sometimes I wonder if they simply forget that they are wanted."

The two of them called the twins' names. But they heard no answer.

"Now where could they have gotten to…" Martin murmured, his gaze turning to the moor.

"Perhaps they've gotten lost. Especially in this fog, it would be very easy to lose one's way…"

How long had they been gone? There was no telling how far they might be now.

Martin heaved a heavy sigh. "Well, I'm sure they'll turn up eventually. Those boys are smart and gifted, they will surely manage…" But he did not take his eyes off the moor.

When Lin remained silent, the older man attempted a chuckle. "It's a good thing my wife isn't here. She would be worried out of her mind."

This was getting painful. "I will go look for them," Lin finally said.

Martin looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure? It wouldn't do for you to become lost as well."

"I will be fine, Professor. I have my own methods."

"I should go, they are my responsibility…"

"No, one of us should stay with the car. And I believe I have a better chance at finding them. I promise I will bring them back safe."

Martin stared at him for a moment longer, then nodded. "Very well. I place them in your trust."

He nodded back. He didn't know exactly what he had done to earn so much trust from the man, but he knew he had to honor it.

Lin looked out over the foggy moor. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled.


	2. Chapter 2

Noll trudged through the fog as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, the vegetation underfoot was thick and difficult to walk in; shrubs of heather, ferns, and tall grass. Not only that, there were rocks scattered about that he could easily trip over if he wasn't careful. But after a few minutes, Gene's form became visible at last.

"Gene! Where do you think you're going?!"

"Noll?" Gene looked back and blinked, as if just realizing where he was. "…I was just following this spirit…"

"I thought you knew better than to go chasing strange spirits."

"I couldn't help it! I've never seen one like this before! And he doesn't seem dangerous…I think he just wants to show us something."

Noll sighed. "What is he like?"

"He looks like an old man. He's wearing a white robe, and has a long beard that he's got in braids. He feels _ancient_ , Noll! Like prehistoric!" Gene's eyes shone in excitement. "Maybe he's a druid!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I can't understand a word of what he's saying, but it sounds Celtic! Isn't this brilliant? It's like getting a private tour by a local, only from thousands of years ago!"

"I don't see the point. His knowledge is thousands of years outdated."

"But what if he leads us to an archeological treasure? We could become famous!"

"We're already famous," Noll sighed. "How much more fame do you need?"

"You wouldn't be so grumpy about it if we had a camera capturing the whole thing." Gene stuck his tongue out at him.

True. If he could get any decent data out of it, it might be a different story. But unfortunately, neither of them had cameras, and that wasn't the real issue here anyway.

"I still don't understand what made you think this was a good idea."

"I wasn't thinking, okay? Anyway, I'm curious where he's taking us. Just a bit farther…"

Noll sighed. He knew it would be hard to discourage him at this point.

He didn't know how much farther they walked, but it felt like far too long. By now, Noll was slightly out of breath, and the cold mist chilled him. Shivering, he stuck his hands further in his jacket pockets.

Suddenly, he heard something rustle in the grass nearby, coming from his right.

"Gene?" But no, Gene was walking ahead; it couldn't be him.

The rustling grew closer.

"What's wrong?" Gene turned to look at him.

"Something's coming this way."

"What?"

"Listen."

They both paused. It sounded louder now. Rustle rustle. Snap. Rustle. Faster now. He saw a large four-legged creature approaching in the mist and braced himself. Then, as if sensing his trepidation, it charged. It was upon him before he could blink—

"MEEEEH!" the black face cried.

Noll stumbled backwards in surprise, nearly falling over. But then he saw the fluffy white wool.

It was only a sheep.

The next moment, Gene was laughing hysterically, clutching his stomach. The sheep pranced away.

"The look on your face!"

"Shut up," Noll muttered darkly. "What happened to that spirit, anyway? Did you lose sight of him?"

Gene looked back up ahead. "Actually…he's waiting for us."

Noll didn't like the sound of that. Though he didn't believe in such things as fairies or pixies, legends usually had some kernel of truth in them, and Dartmoor had more than its share of stories of people being led astray by pixies.

"Gene, that's enough. If we go any further, we won't be able to find our way back." Actually, they had probably long crossed that point already.

But Gene took no heed. "Noll, look!" He pointed up ahead.

Something seemed to be sticking out of the ground. Many somethings, in fact.

Looking closer, he saw it was a stone row— a line of upright stones marking a path through the moor, placed there by ancient hands.

"I think we're almost there!" Gene sped up, walking alongside the stones. "This place...it feels sacred."

"Like Stonehenge?"

"Yeah, just like Stonehenge!"

Hm. This might be interesting after all.

The stone row eventually led to a stone circle. And in the middle of the ring of stones, they found a kistvaen; an ancient Celtic burial tomb built out of large slabs of granite. It resembled a four-sided stone chest, about three feet long and two feet wide, built into the ground so that the top edges were flush with the surface.

From the looks of it, the grave had been desecrated ages ago, the moss and lichen-covered capstone pushed aside to reveal the shallow cist within. Noll had to admit, this lent support to Gene's theory that the spirit was of Celtic origin. Was this where he had been put to rest? Or was it only a coincidence that he had led them here? After all, Dartmoor had many such burials…

Noll was just about to ask what the spirit was currently doing, but Gene seemed distracted again. He looked around, frowning.

"Do you hear that?"

Noll strained his ears. Actually, he did hear something.

"Is that someone crying?"

"So you hear it too? It's not just me?"

It sounded like a young child. The two of them exchanged looks and hurried in the direction of the voice.

It didn't take them long to find the source. A little girl sat atop a rock, crying and clutching a stuffed rabbit in her arms. She looked to be about six years old, with red hair tied up in pigtails.

Gene approached her at once.

"Hey, there."

The girl gasped in surprise and looked up. Then stared at them in wonder. "Wow...you two look the same."

Gene smiled. "That's right. We're twins. I'm Eugene. And this is my brother Oliver. Can I ask your name?"

"Cathy."

"What're you doing out here, Cathy? Are you alone?"

The girl nodded. "I was with my Mum and Dad. But then I followed some ponies and got lost."

"How long has it been since then?" Noll asked her.

"A long time."

"How many hours?"

She gave him a blank look.

He sighed. "Has it been longer than half a day?"

The girl shook her head slowly.

"Was it foggy like this when you got lost?" Gene asked. "Or did the fog come in long after?"

"It got foggy right after I followed the ponies…"

"So it probably hasn't been that long, huh."

"Almost as long as _we_ _'ve_ been lost, you mean," Noll said bitterly.

"But that's good. It means her family is probably still on the moor, looking for her." Gene gazed into the mist. "Hopefully they haven't gotten lost themselves…"

Cathy grasped Gene's sleeve.

"Are you going away?" she sniffed.

"No, of course not."

"Cause there was an old man here, but he went away."

"You saw him?!"

She nodded.

Gene hissed in Noll's ear. "See, I told you he wasn't dangerous! He didn't lead us astray. He led us to _her_."

Noll gave him a dubious look. "Sure, whatever."

Cathy's eyes welled up again. "I wanna go home."

Gene smiled gently down at her. "Don't worry. We'll get you back home." He turned to Noll expectantly.

Noll sighed. He looked the girl over, immediately taking note of the stuffed rabbit in her arms.

It looked handmade, not store bought. Made out of pastel pink cloth, it was slightly worn, with red buttons for eyes.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing.

The girl blinked. "Mr. Cuddles?"

"Did someone make it for you?"

She nodded. "My Mum made it out of my old blankie."

Perfect.

He held his hand out. "Give it to me."

She held it protectively to her chest. "Why?"

"I just need it for a moment."

"No! You'll steal it!"

Noll rolled his eyes. As if he'd want that ragged old thing. And he was just about to say so, when Gene cut in.

"Hey, can I tell you a secret? My brother actually has a magic ability that lets him find lost people!"

Her mouth dropped open. "Magic?"

"Yup! But he's going to need Mr. Cuddles' help to use it. Do you think you could let him hold him for a bit, so he could find your parents?"

"Well…okay." She handed it over.

Noll held the stuffed toy in his hands and closed his eyes.

It would be only too easy to fall into the girl's memories, but that's not what he was looking for. Instead, he zeroed in on the mother, who had left a strong emotional imprint of her own. The blanket had been in their possession since the day the girl was born. He couldn't ask for better material.

He saw the mother standing on a tor, frantically calling her daughter's name along with her husband. The tor overlooked the surrounding moor, but the ground below was shrouded in fog. The woman sounded desperate, panicked. She was a terrible mother. She should have never taken her eyes off of her. Her little girl must be so scared. Oh, Lord, please protect her. She would give anything…

Noll opened his eyes.

"Well?" Gene asked.

"I have a landmark. They're on a large tor. Hopefully they will stay there for a while, so we can drive around and find it." He sighed. "That is, assuming we can even find our own way back."

"Well, I think Lin is tracking us, so I'm not too worried about that."

"What?"

"I saw one of his shiki floating around earlier."

"And you didn't think to mention that sooner?" Noll scowled.

"For now, we could just follow the stone rows back. That ought to point us in the right direction, at least."

The three of them set off. They had been walking for several minutes, leaving the last of the stones behind them, when Noll heard a rustling in the grass again.

"Oh, what now-"

It came out of nowhere. The next thing he knew, a fluffy white blur had launched itself at him with a resounding "MEEEEEEH!"

This time, he did fall over, feet tangled in the heather.

"Noll! Are you okay?!"

He grunted. A sharp pain shot through his left foot.

The sheep let out a triumphant "Meeeh!" and bounded off again. Noll didn't know what he'd done to deserve this treatment.

Cathy giggled. "I don't think that sheep likes you."

Noll glared at her. He sat up and tried to climb to his feet…then immediately crumpled back to his knees, gasping in pain.

"Noll?!"

"It's my ankle," he winced. "I think I've twisted it."

Gene swore.

Just what he needed. Could this day get any worse?

But then a familiar voice called. "Oliver? Eugene? Is that you?"

"Lin!" Eugene called back. "We need help!"

They heard quickened footsteps and saw his tall figure looming in the distance. "What happened? Are you both all right?"

"We're okay, except Noll twisted his ankle…"

"Who's that?" Cathy asked.

"Um…a family friend, I guess?"

Lin stepped out of the fog. He blinked down at them.

"…Oh. There are more of you now."

* * *

Shortly after, the twins explained what had happened and introduced him to the girl, Cathy.

Having now heard the whole story, Lin could only sigh. "That was highly irresponsible of you two. Do you have any idea how much you've worried your father?"

"But we found Cathy!" Eugene protested.

"Don't lump me in with him," Oliver said. "I was making sure he wouldn't get himself killed."

"And yet you are the one with the injury," Lin deadpanned.

Oliver looked away.

The boy looked paler than usual, and there was sweat on his temple. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain.

"I don't suppose you will be able to walk in that condition."

Oliver kept his eyes carefully averted. "…I can manage."

"Really, Noll?" Eugene gave him a doubtful look. "You could barely stand a minute ago."

"Look, just find me a big stick, and I'll walk."

"In this terrain, that wouldn't be wise," Lin said. "You could easily injure yourself again."

Oliver frowned.

"I will have to carry you."

Now his head snapped up. "What? No!"

Eugene nodded in agreement. "That'll be the quickest way. We have to find Cathy's parents too, so we can't dawdle."

"I said I can _walk_." Gritting his teeth, Oliver got to his feet again, but immediately stumbled. He landed back on the ground with a grunt of pain.

Lin was getting annoyed. He'd thought the boy was sensible for his age, but when it came to his pride, it seemed stubbornness overtook his common sense.

"Oliver, I am trying to _help_ you. It will take us twice as long to get there if you are limping the whole way. You must realize that?"

"I don't care!"

Lin reached down to pick him up.

Oliver flinched away. "No!"

And now his patience snapped. "Lest you forget, you are a _child!_ _I_ am the adult here! You _must_ listen to what I say!"

"But—"

"No but's!"

"Hey, hey…" Eugene interceded. "Let's all just calm down, okay? Shouting won't get us anywhere. And you're scaring Cathy."

The little girl was staring at them, eyes wide.

Eugene turned to his brother. "Noll, what's the problem? Lin wouldn't hurt us. You know that."

"Obviously." Oliver shuddered, looking down at his shoes. "…Just can't help it, that's all."

Then it clicked. Yes, he knew that feeling well. And now he recognized the look in the boy's eyes. Fear.

A small smile came to Lin's lips. "Perhaps we can find another way."

He scanned the area, looking for anything that might help. Then he spotted several large figures moving their way.

"Something is coming…"

Oliver groaned. "It better not be that sheep again."

"No, they seem larger."

"It's the spirit! He's leading them here!" Eugene exclaimed.

"Leading what?"

"PONIES!" Cathy squealed.

Sure enough, a string of wild Dartmoor ponies appeared. They came in different colors— black, white, gray, and brown, with long, shaggy manes and tails. There seemed to be a dozen of them at least. And rather conveniently, they stopped right in front them.

Before Lin could stop her, Cathy ran excitedly up to one of the foals and began petting it. At the same time, the largest of the ponies walked up to Oliver, and stood next to him expectantly.

Oliver stared up at it. "…Wait. This doesn't mean…"

"I think it wants you to ride it, Noll," Eugene grinned.

"No way…"

"It seems we've found our solution," Lin smiled.

"But…"

The pony whinnied and nudged Oliver's head with its nose.

In the end, Oliver relented. He managed to climb shakily on a rock to hoist himself onto the pony's back, where he scrabbled to hold on. But finally, with his knees hugging the pony, and hands gripping its mane, he found the right balance. Only then did the pony begin to move.

"Over here!" Lin called, and led the way towards the direction his shiki indicated. He wasn't sure the ponies would listen. But the pony that Oliver was riding followed after him, and the other ponies followed suit.

"No fair! I wanna ride a pony!" Cathy whined.

"No. That is too dangerous," Lin said.

"But he gets to!"

"They're pretty big, Cathy," Eugene explained, taking her hand. "And wild. They might bite, or throw you off. What would we say to your parents then?"

Cathy continued complaining. Eugene continued placating. Oliver, meanwhile, remained silent, face screwed up in concentration as he focused on maintaining his balance, and wincing every so often.

Lin looked back over his entourage; twins, ponies, little girl and all. The Professor would sure be in for a surprise when they returned.

* * *

 _How_ _'_ _re you holding up, Noll?_

Noll glanced at his brother.

 _How do you think?_

Gene smiled sheepishly. _Sorry about everything. I shouldn't have run off like that. It_ _'s just..._

He looked pensive.

 _What_ _'_ _s wrong?_

 _I was thinking about that spirit. I think I know why he feels different now. It_ _'_ _s not just that he_ _'_ _s old, but he_ _'_ _s almost completely lacking in ego. But he_ _'_ _s not hollow like Lin_ _'_ _s shiki. It_ _'_ _s more like_ _…_ _like he_ _'_ _s become a part of the moor itself. Even if I could talk to him, I get the feeling he wouldn_ _'_ _t even remember his reason for lingering._

Gene looked back regretfully.

 _At least he doesn_ _'_ _t seem to be suffering. And I guess, if you_ _'_ _re going to be stuck anyway, that_ _'_ _s not a bad way to spend your time. Helping people, I mean._

Noll looked back as well. It was probably just his imagination, but he thought he could make out a faint, human-shaped figure in the mist.

A spirit that had been there for millennia, as unchanging as the moor. Would he ever find peace? Or was he destined to wander forever?

…Well, there was no use in thinking about it. Noll faced forward again. It didn't concern him anyway.

* * *

Author's Note:

So this was written for the 2017 Ghost Hunt Exchange, and as you can see, I tried to fit all the themes in the prompt at once! (I've even got hitchhiking in there, in a way, if hitching a ride on a pony counts.) I've always wanted to write a Ghost Hunt story set in Dartmoor, so when I was thinking of where to send the characters on a road trip, it immediately sprung to mind. So I decided to give the twins a cute mini adventure, with some added fluff and Naru+Lin friendship (or at least, the beginnings of it). And then I got quite self-indulgent, throwing in some headcanons and my love for folklore, history, and archeology. ^^;

Alas, I also had to cut some ideas. Namely, I wanted to do more with the kistvaen. I'd imagined it would be something like the Money Pit legend. Maybe the spirit's grave had been robbed, and he cursed the grave robber, but after the robber died, he had no one to direct his curse on and just lingered. Or maybe, he is a conglomeration of all the spirits on the moor who had their graves desecrated. But I couldn't figure out how the twins would learn of this besides Naru using psychometry, and I wasn't sure he'd even be able to get a good reading from the kistvaen. So I had to scrap it. Unfortunately, some things are just lost to time and have to remain a mystery.

It still feels incomplete to me, like I haven't done everything I could with the setting, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed it, archangelBBQ! You are one of my favorite writers for this fandom, so writing for you has been an honor. :)


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